Buddha: Won’t leave Bengal to unruly party
Demonstrating an unprecedented belligerence, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday said that he could not leave the state in the hands of "an irresponsible, unprincipled, indisciplined and anti-industry party." Although he did not name the Trinamul Congress, he left no one in doubt who his target was. "I am not going anywhere. I along with with my colleagues will remain (in power)," he asserted. The chief minister was speaking at the inauguration of Protiti, the new office building of the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), on Camac Street.
Reacting sharply to Mr Bhattacharjee’s diatribe, the Trinamul Congress said it did not need lessons in ethics and discipline from the CPI(M). "We do not need to learn discipline from those who themselves do not know the meaning of the word. From burning trams to spilling blood, we have seen every colour of the CPI(M)," Trinamul Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee said.
Meanwhile, political observers feel that Mr Bhattacharjee’s outburst was a damage control exercise. At the inauguration of the Banglar Tanter Haat on Sunday, Mr Bhattacharjee had made a statement which suggested that there was uncertainty about Left Front’s return to power. The publication of this report in Monday’s papers upset the party mandarins who felt that it would sent a wrong message to the people and demoralise the cadres.
Therefore, towards the end of his inaugural speech at the Protiti, Mr Bhattacharjee said that some newspapers had distorted his comments. "I am amused by the reports published in one or two newspapers. The state has made progress in both agriculture and industry under our rule. Under no circumstances, we can leave the state in the hands of an irresponsible, undisciplined and anti-industry party which has neither policy nor political agenda. I cannot betray the people of Bengal," Mr Bhattacharjee added.
Exuding a new-found confidence, Mr Bhattacharjee defended his industrialisation drive and even his decision to acquire land in Singur for Tata Motors’ Nano project. Claiming that he made no mistake in Singur, Mr Bhattacharjee said the automobile plant would have changed the face the area and provided jobs to thousands of youth.
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